The Cost of Justice
by stella-pegasi
Summary: Shakespeare wrote, "Though justice be thy plea, consider this, That, in the course of justice, none of us Should see salvation." On this day, John Sheppard learned that justice without mercy had dire consequences.


**Title: ****The Cost of Justice**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **K+

**Spoilers: **None

**Characters:** John Sheppard, General Hank Landry, General Jack O'Neill

**Summary: **Shakespeare wrote,_ "Though justice be thy plea, consider this, That, in the course of justice, none of us Should see salvation." _On this day_, _John Sheppard learned that justice without mercy had dire consequences_._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Notes: **This story was written for the Stargate and Stargate: Atlantis Fiction Challenge Community Unscheduled Off-world Activation (sg_fic_uoa) on LiveJournal. The prompt was the Shakespeare quote from _The Merchant of Venice_ which is included in the summary.

**The Cost of Justice**

John Sheppard was enraged. He was in Washington, DC to testify at the court-martial of Sergeant David Hansen, USAF, who served under his command on Atlantis. The sergeant was on trial for treason against the United States for the sale of Ancient artifacts and intelligence concerning Atlantis to the Trust. Upon arriving at the Pentagon, Sheppard had been informed that the charges against Sgt. Hansen were about to be dismissed.

Earlier, a lieutenant had stepped into the hallway to inform him there was an unexpected delay in the proceedings. Resigned to waiting, he sat down on a bench across from the courtroom wondering what would be causing a delay. His answer came in a phone call from Stargate Command regarding Sergeant Hansen that pushed him past the limits of anger into a rage he seldom felt. His outward demeanor seemed calm and controlled but those who knew him would recognize the cold, blackness in his eyes and the steel clench of his jaw which belied the level of his anger.

A few minutes passed and the same lieutenant stepped back into the hallway and told him that the JAG prosecutor and defense attorney along with General Landry were meeting in the USAF Advocate General's office on an upper floor of the building. General Landry had requested his presence. He followed the lieutenant to the elevator in silence.

When they arrived, the lieutenant opened the office door for him; Sheppard could see that General Landry was standing toe-to-toe with the man that was the focus of Sheppard's rage. The colonel knew that Landry's presence was a good thing because it kept him from marching into the office and knocking Lt. Colonel Murray Gibson on his ass. As the door closed behind him, Landry turned and from the expression on the colonel's face, he knew that Sheppard was livid.

"You know, colonel?" Landry asked.

"Yes, general, the SGC informed me about ten minutes ago," his voice was low and measured.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is certainly tragic news about Sergeant Hansen; our condolences to his family and to you and those he served with on Atlantis." The JAG advocate general stood up as he offered his condolences.

Sheppard took a deep breath, "Thank you, General Morrison; I am sure the family will be very comforted."

Landry was watching Sheppard closely for any sign that Sheppard was going to lose control. He cringed as he listened to Sheppard's appropriate words but he doubted that anyone in the room didn't hear the venom in the colonel's voice. Landry knew that his own anger was great and was certain the colonel's anger was stronger and on the verge of erupting. He decided to take control of the conversation.

"Colonel Gibson, prior to Colonel Sheppard joining us, you had started to tell us why you were dismissing the charges against Sgt. Hansen."

"Yes, General Landry, the treason charge against Sgt. Hansen has been dismissed due to new information that has been provided regarding the actual traitor. The sergeant's record will not reflect any charges or that he was a target of an investigation. It's the least we can do for the family."

Sheppard took a step toward Gibson but Landry was quicker. "Better for the family, colonel? Really? This young sergeant hanged himself in his cell this morning rather than put his family and the airmen and Marines he served with through a trial. A trial that Stargate Command now has information that proves the JAG investigators focused on Sgt. Hansen as a diversion because this office was hoping the real traitor would make a mistake and reveal himself. Hansen was the perfect foil; the sergeant was on Atlantis during the time frame that this treason was committed. You offered proof of Hansen's guilt knowing all along it was a lie."

The advocate general attempted to calm Landry down, "General, we realize that it might appear that we used the sergeant to get to the real person who passed secret information to the Trust but it wasn't as deliberate as you might think. Sgt. Hansen was on the original list of suspects and he did fit the time frame and the profile."

"Profile? What profile was that, sir? Did you use the profile that described an airman who had served with honor, who had never been in any kind of trouble or did you create one to suit your purposes? How did he become your top suspect?" Sheppard's voice was hard, his eyes riveted on the advocate general.

With a slight smirk on his face, Colonel Gibson addressed Sheppard. "Sheppard, Hansen may have an upstanding member of the Air Force but he came from a poor family and had a lot of problems when he was young. Money is always a great enticement to the poor. At the beginning, we were fairly sure he was at least a plausible suspect. We were wrong." As Gibson uttered those last words, he shrugged shoulders as if the consequence of Hansen's death didn't matter.

Sheppard was trembling and Landry moved next to him, placing his hand on the colonel's shoulder, whispering, "Easy, John."

"General, if I may." Major Jason Poole, who had been Hansen's defense attorney, looked at Morrison who nodded go ahead.

"Colonel Gibson, my client professed his innocence from the moment he was confronted with these charges. Sergeant Hansen sat in the Daedalus' brig while the real traitor walked the decks of the ship a free man. It took the commander of that ship, Colonel Caldwell, armed with information that Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay gave him to put the pieces together. He found the man who committed treason and it wasn't Sgt. Hansen. Yet you would not release the sergeant and refused to charge Lieutenant Baker. Colonel Gibson, you said that the evidence against Baker was suspect and you continued to insist that Hansen was the traitor. Sgt. Hansen was a young man who loved his family and loved the Air Force and couldn't bear bringing shame to either. With all due respect sir, what happened here was not justice; this office should be ashamed."

The advocate general was well aware of the palpable tension in the room and that he needed to end the discussion. "General, colonels, major, this discussion is not going to change anything; mistakes were made on all sides. Colonel Sheppard, I will personally send a letter to the sergeant's family expressing JAG's sincere apologies for what occurred here. There's nothing more we can do gentlemen. Thank you, the lieutenant will see you out."

Landry's hand gripped Sheppard's arm as they left the office and headed for the stairs. He hoped to get Sheppard out of the building without having any interaction with Colonel Gibson. Apparently, Gibson had other ideas. He caught up with them in the stairwell.

"Well, 'Colonel' Sheppard, you've come a long way since I was part of the prosecution team when you were under threat of Article 34. What was that for now, oh yeah, disobeying a direct order? You must have some friends in high places to get the cushy assignment you did and a promotion on top of it. When we were given clearance and informed about the SGC and Atlantis, I was more shocked you were a lieutenant colonel than I was about all this outer space stuff."

Sheppard jerked his arm away from Landry and turned toward Gibson. "Gibson, I may have come a long way but you're still the same jackass you were then." Sheppard had moved within a couple of feet of the lawyer.

"You were guilty then and you are guilty now and I would have convicted you. However, the mothers whose sons you saved begged the court for mercy on your behalf and the court concurred. What did you do, Sheppard, use your boyish charms and take 'special' care of all those moms so that they would take care of you? You pretty-boy pilots get by with everything. You disobeyed a direct order during war time and you got by with it. That's what I call justice not being served." Gibson laughed, turning to walk away.

He didn't get far before Sheppard pinned him against the wall. Sheppard stood at least five inches taller than Gibson and he was using every inch of that difference to intimidate the lawyer. "Justice? You want to talk about justice? Where was the justice for David Hansen, Gibson? Hansen was innocent and you knew it from the beginning. You used him as a pawn in your little game to make a name for yourself. You told him he was going to be convicted; that there was no way out of this, so he took the only way out he knew to protect those he cared about. You might as well have tied that sheet around his neck."

"Get the hell off of me, Sheppard." Gibson pushed against Sheppard with all his strength but couldn't move the larger and stronger man.

"No, I'm not done with you yet, Gibson. Where was the mercy you should have shown Hansen? He should have been released as soon as General Landry contacted JAG with the information Caldwell uncovered. You didn't let him go because he was under my command. Was this payback because your first prosecution slipped away from you? You were going to make a name for yourself by convicting a pilot who, against orders, rescued three servicemen from behind enemy lines. You wanted to show that you stood by the letter of the law no matter what the circumstances, that justice was your only goal." Sheppard pressed his arm just a bit tighter across Gibson's neck.

"I learned something then; I learned that there were people who believed in the quality of mercy and compassion and they allowed me to continue as an Air Force pilot. I was prepared to pay for my decision to go on that mission and I paid, though not the price I thought. I never expected to be where I am today but I'm here because people had faith in me and decided once again that compassion was the best course. I had a second chance, Gibson; Sgt. Hansen never will. You showed no compassion to him and he paid the ultimate price for it. So much for your justice; justice without mercy won't get you salvation for your actions, Gibson, no matter how hard you try." Releasing Gibson, Sheppard disappeared down the stairs.

"You're done, Sheppard. I'll have you court-martialed for assaulting a fellow officer. You're done! I'll have justice after all." Gibson was red-faced, his hands clenched into fists.

Turning to look at General Landry and Major Poole, Gibson pointed his finger at them, "You two are my witnesses; you saw that he assaulted me, general, I want him taken into custody."

General Landry walked up to Gibson, "I don't have any idea what you are talking about Colonel Gibson. I didn't see anything," looking over his shoulder at Major Poole, he asked. "Did you see anything, major?

Major Poole looked directly at Colonel Gibson as he answered the general. "No, sir, I didn't see anything." He and General Landry walked past Gibson, leaving the prosecutor alone on the stairwell.

_Five Days Later_

It was a crisp October day in Arlington, the sun shining, the sky a deep, vibrant blue as Colonel Sheppard accepted the folded American flag from the honor guard and presented it to Sergeant David Hansen's mother. She embraced Sheppard and the sergeant's younger brother shook his hand, then handed an envelope to the colonel.

When the service was over, General Jack O'Neill approached General Landry. "Hank, how are you?"

"Good, Jack. I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

"Well, this was a bad situation and I thought Sheppard needed some support. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"Never could get much past you, Jack."

"Does he know about Gibson?"

"No, not yet. I was going to tell him but Hansen's brother handed him an envelope, I have a feeling it was note from the sergeant. He walked away and I decided to wait a bit."

"Well, I want to talk to him. So if you don't mind, I'll tell him the news about Gibson. Stick around, OK?" Landry nodded yes and O'Neill left to find Sheppard.

Sheppard was exactly where O'Neill expected him to be, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sitting on the steps below the monument.

Sheppard glanced over at O'Neill as he sat down, "General, come to tell me I'm going to be court-martialed?"

"Sheppard, you are a handful but no court-martial for you. Seems as though Gibson's witnesses told the advocate general they didn't see you assault anyone."

Sheppard shook his head, "General…" He didn't continue; he wasn't certain what to say.

O'Neill pointed to the paper in Sheppard's hand, "Hansen leave you a note?"

"Yes, sir; he wanted to let me know that this wasn't my fault; that he respected me and he wanted me to understand that he couldn't go through a court-martial for treason."

"It wasn't your fault, Sheppard."

"It sure feels like it." Sheppard took his cover off and laid it next to him. O'Neill laughed.

"You have to be the only person in the Air Force whose cover doesn't mess up his hair." He was pleased he at least got a grin from Sheppard.

"Colonel, there will be a court-martial; Colonel Gibson is being charged with obstruction of justice and withholding evidence." Sheppard's head snapped around to stare at him, "Major Poole presented adequate evidence to warrant Gibson's arrest and also, uncovered some evidence that Gibson was working with the Trust. If you and McKay hadn't been able to get those data logs to Caldwell, they would've gotten away with it."

"Obstruction of justice, that's appropriate. Treason, that's priceless. Maybe now he will find out what justice really means."

"Well, he knows what cutting a deal means, he's willing to squeal on the Trust if he is not charged."

Sheppard laughed, "That bastard wants mercy? Add the word hypocrite to his description."

"Sheppard, we'll be alright as long as we remember that none of us are above the law but we all deserved compassion and for some, a second chance. We both got that."

"Yes, we did, sir."

O'Neill stood up, "Come on, colonel, let's find Landry, get out of these damn dress blues, and go eat. I know a little place where we can get some mercy in the form of a killer steak and ice cold beer."


End file.
